 Friday, January 8, 2021
Top COVID-19 Takeaways from the Week
Mass COVID-19 vaccinations for healthcare workers begin at Fairgrounds
 On Monday, the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness opened its LouVax site for mass COVID-19 vaccinations at Broadbent Arena on the grounds of the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center.
Open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., the site is offering vaccinations by appointment only focusing on the tier 1A priority group mandated by the federal government.
The group includes medical first responders and healthcare workers such as physicians, nurses, dentists, occupational and physical therapists, medical lab personnel, home health personnel and mortuary personnel, among others.
Dr. SarahBeth Hartlage, Associate Medical Director for the health department reported that nearly 2,000 vaccinations were administered surpassing the expectation of 1,000 doses.
"I'm proud to say we've had zero doses wasted," Dr. Hartlage said. "Every single vial that has been given to the health department has gone as a vaccine shot in somebody's arm. We're carrying the success of this week forward into next week with an expected capacity to administer 4,000 doses of the vaccine.
If you are a independent healthcare worker or representative of a group, company or facility that falls into tier 1A and are interested in signing up to receive the vaccine CLICK HERE. If you have any additional questions about the COVID-19 vaccine send an email to COVIDvaccine@louisvilleky.gov.
When is it your turn to get vaccinated?
 Currently, the health department expects vaccinations for the tier 1A group to last until the end of January and into early february.
Once that group is complete Metro Health will then move forward with vaccinating individuals in the tier 1B group. That group includes:
- Non-medical first responders (police officers, firefighters)
- K-12 school personnel (educators)
- Individuals age 70 and over
- Critical infrastructure workers
The health department anticipates vaccinations for tier 1B to begin in February. After vaccinations are finished with that group, then they will move on to tier 1C. Tier 1C includes:
- All essential workers
- Individuals ages 60 and older
- Anyone older than 16 with high-risk of serious life-threatening complications from COVID-19
The final phase of vaccinations will include the general population which is individuals 18 and over not included in the previous tiers.
Reminder: Priority groups in the phased allocation plan for the COVID-19 vaccine are set by the federal and state government. The local health department is responsible for making sure those groups receive the vaccine when it's their turn.
For information about the COVID-19 vaccine, priority groups and planning CLICK HERE. To view the Centers for Disease Control COVID-19 vaccine phases CLICK HERE.
How will I know it's my turn?
 While you await your turn to get vaccinated you might be thinking when the time comes for your tier to receive the vaccine, how will you know?
The health department encourages residents in Louisville to follow Metro Health and Wellness on Facebook, Twitter and tune in to our weekly COVID-19 updates where we will share up-to-date information on everything COVID-related included the vaccine. We also share information through our local news media.
You can also subscribe to COVID-19 Health Alerts via email on Metro's COVID-19 Vaccine information page here.
The process to vaccinate all tiers will take time. In the meantime, public health officials encourage residents to continue wearing a mask, staying socially distant, washing your hands.
These are essential to protecting ourselves, our families and the community until it is your turn to receive the vaccine.
Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 will allow us to get back to the things we all love and enjoy doing.
Let's do our part as we work together to eliminate this pandemic.
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